From the Macra to The Mysterious Planet, Andrew finds the gold in oft-unloved Doctor Who episodes from across the decades...
For the show's fiftieth anniversary, Doctor Who Magazine ran a new poll ranking the 241 stories up to and including The Time Of The Doctor. The Twin Dilemma came last again, having done so in 2009 survey, and though it does have many faults, it isn't completely bad. Colin Baker blazes his way haughtily through it, and the story noticeably lacks energy when he's off screen. Perhaps it might have been marginally better just to have had the Sixth Doctor and Peri go to a Little Chef so he could complain about the service.
In the lower half of the poll (compiled by people rating all the stories out of ten) are some pretty good stories, or at least ones that arguably don't deserve to be there. We've therefore compiled a list...
For the show's fiftieth anniversary, Doctor Who Magazine ran a new poll ranking the 241 stories up to and including The Time Of The Doctor. The Twin Dilemma came last again, having done so in 2009 survey, and though it does have many faults, it isn't completely bad. Colin Baker blazes his way haughtily through it, and the story noticeably lacks energy when he's off screen. Perhaps it might have been marginally better just to have had the Sixth Doctor and Peri go to a Little Chef so he could complain about the service.
In the lower half of the poll (compiled by people rating all the stories out of ten) are some pretty good stories, or at least ones that arguably don't deserve to be there. We've therefore compiled a list...
- 11/18/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
The day of the Doctor approaches...
With just 18 days to go until Doctor Who reaches its 50th anniversary milestone, Digital Spy and other press spoke to an actor who led the show into the early '80s and went out in a blaze of glory in one of the show's finest ever stories...
Below, Peter Davison talks Doctor Who's long-lasting appeal, his single biggest regret about his tenure, 'hanky panky in the Tardis' and his exit from the show in 1984.
> Doctor Who anniversary: Tom Baker talks the 50th and fandom
Peter Davison on... why Doctor Who has lasted 50 years
"I suppose the biggest reason is the fact that it regenerates itself. When Doctor Who came back, it came back under the control of people who had grown up watching the classic Doctors all those years ago, and being inspired to write, direct and act, and wanting to do Doctor Who...
With just 18 days to go until Doctor Who reaches its 50th anniversary milestone, Digital Spy and other press spoke to an actor who led the show into the early '80s and went out in a blaze of glory in one of the show's finest ever stories...
Below, Peter Davison talks Doctor Who's long-lasting appeal, his single biggest regret about his tenure, 'hanky panky in the Tardis' and his exit from the show in 1984.
> Doctor Who anniversary: Tom Baker talks the 50th and fandom
Peter Davison on... why Doctor Who has lasted 50 years
"I suppose the biggest reason is the fact that it regenerates itself. When Doctor Who came back, it came back under the control of people who had grown up watching the classic Doctors all those years ago, and being inspired to write, direct and act, and wanting to do Doctor Who...
- 11/5/2013
- Digital Spy
Doctor Who from 2005 onwards hasn’t often had to worry too much about poor special effects. Given a devoted teams at The Mill and Millennium FX and a decent, if not exactly lavish, budget from the BBC, most of the time whatever Russell T. Davies and now Steven Moffat and co can dream up, the rest of the team can convincingly realise. But it wasn’t always so. In the 1960s, the budget was around £2000 an episode and many recordings were attempted in the tiny Lime Grove studios. Small wonder that several special effects shots fell short of the mark, even by the standards of the day.
But despite the willingness of modern, and usually snide, TV companies to mockingly reshow these embarrassing old clips, the fact is that from 1963-1989, Doctor Who created some innovative images which completely defied the microscopic budgets they were working with. In this article,...
But despite the willingness of modern, and usually snide, TV companies to mockingly reshow these embarrassing old clips, the fact is that from 1963-1989, Doctor Who created some innovative images which completely defied the microscopic budgets they were working with. In this article,...
- 2/28/2012
- by Tom Salinsky
- Obsessed with Film
Ah, Lanzarote. Beautiful scenery. Bright sunshine. Hot temperatures - something that's urgently needed in Britain at the moment, given the freezing temperatures. Oh, and of course, the age-old stereotype of one or two pasty-faced British tattooed blobbos or high-heeled bimbos waving beer bottles in the air and bellowing Oasis songs at top whack - although any package holiday deal in a hot, sunny country will inevitably attract these sorts.
One keen visitor is the good Doctor, who arrives in the scorching heat of Lanzarote, on the trail of a distress signal that's being beamed from a rather dodgy-looking artefact. And before you know it, he's off to the planet of Sarn (which uncannily looks like the beautiful vistas of Lanzarote), where he runs - yet again - into his arch-nemesis, The Master.
That may sound simple to you, but imagine the look on Peter Grimwade's face when the Who...
One keen visitor is the good Doctor, who arrives in the scorching heat of Lanzarote, on the trail of a distress signal that's being beamed from a rather dodgy-looking artefact. And before you know it, he's off to the planet of Sarn (which uncannily looks like the beautiful vistas of Lanzarote), where he runs - yet again - into his arch-nemesis, The Master.
That may sound simple to you, but imagine the look on Peter Grimwade's face when the Who...
- 1/31/2011
- Shadowlocked
The early 2010s are not happy times. Especially if you don't like the Royal Family. Yes, in Spring 2011, it's street party and tacky memorabilia time as Kate and Wills get hitched to the tune of several million pounds and the out of tune of Jls and Take That, who will no doubt perform at some half-arsed concert presented by some fawning non-entity like Fearne Cotton. And then the following year, whasserface will celebrate yet another milestone jubilee. Heaven for the Royalists, a nightmare for those who are finding it a bit harder to make ends meet...
Pardon the crass soapboxing - it's just that it seems hard to get away from the hee-haw-ing Royals at the mo. At the time of writing, they're on telly, they're in the papers, and now to make matters worse, they've just mentioned the 1977 jubilee in Mawdryn Undead, one of the key season 20 stories in Doctor Who.
Pardon the crass soapboxing - it's just that it seems hard to get away from the hee-haw-ing Royals at the mo. At the time of writing, they're on telly, they're in the papers, and now to make matters worse, they've just mentioned the 1977 jubilee in Mawdryn Undead, one of the key season 20 stories in Doctor Who.
- 1/6/2011
- Shadowlocked
A director's CV needs to prove a lot to a prospective employer. An eye for imaginative camera shots. A bulging contacts book with lots of good actors and crewmembers who can help make the project a resounding success. And then there's the all-important talent for judging budgetary requirements.
It's a talent that's especially important in a show like Doctor Who, especially in the days before the budget got bigger. Back in the day, the budget never seemed to amount to much, given the various DVD commentary anecdotes, during which directors spend aeons discussing every scrap of budget on their allocated story – anecdotes that are only really of any value to accountants and insomniacs.
But any director worth his or her salt needs to have a good grasp of finance, especially if they're called upon to write a story for Doctor Who. Peter Grimwade – he of the rather creepy, intense stare – was one such example,...
It's a talent that's especially important in a show like Doctor Who, especially in the days before the budget got bigger. Back in the day, the budget never seemed to amount to much, given the various DVD commentary anecdotes, during which directors spend aeons discussing every scrap of budget on their allocated story – anecdotes that are only really of any value to accountants and insomniacs.
But any director worth his or her salt needs to have a good grasp of finance, especially if they're called upon to write a story for Doctor Who. Peter Grimwade – he of the rather creepy, intense stare – was one such example,...
- 12/31/2010
- Shadowlocked
The turbulent decade of the 1980s – not much fun, eh? Thatcherism at the height of its powers. The emergence of the yuppies. Not to mention the likes of mannequin crooners like Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet dominating the charts like suited bankers. So no wonder Doctor Who wanted to go revisit the 1960s for inspiration.
Think I'm joking? Well think on this. We've had Hartnell-like temper flares from the main man Davison. We've had an all-new historical adventure. And now, in true Daleks Masterplan-style, a companion is about to bite the dust.
Yes, time's run out for Adric, everyone's favourite laughing stock. He's about to buy it in spectacular fashion at the end of Earthshock, one of the jewels in season nineteen's crown. The great thing about this at the time was that it came totally out of the blue. Normally, companions – of late – tend to leave of their own accord or get married.
Think I'm joking? Well think on this. We've had Hartnell-like temper flares from the main man Davison. We've had an all-new historical adventure. And now, in true Daleks Masterplan-style, a companion is about to bite the dust.
Yes, time's run out for Adric, everyone's favourite laughing stock. He's about to buy it in spectacular fashion at the end of Earthshock, one of the jewels in season nineteen's crown. The great thing about this at the time was that it came totally out of the blue. Normally, companions – of late – tend to leave of their own accord or get married.
- 12/29/2010
- Shadowlocked
That Kate Bush, eh? Prolific songwriter by day, Doctor Who writer at night. Well, actually, that's not true. It was just a rumour circulating at the time that Christopher Bailey was actually a pseudonym for the eerie warbler. And I'm not too sure that Bailey would be too happy about the link.
Still, in a way you can see why a handful of folks might think this. Like Bush's meisterworks, Kinda is unusual, eccentric, deep 'n' meaningful, and also very entertaining. Some of the set pieces could possibly have come from one of Bush's videos, especially the scenes in Teabag's mind. You almost half expect Bush to leap out of the darkness from behind the steel girders to start crooning a variant on 'The Man With The Child In His Eyes' called 'The Woman With The Vile In Her Eyes'.
So pull out the psychologist's chair, and let's delve deep...
Still, in a way you can see why a handful of folks might think this. Like Bush's meisterworks, Kinda is unusual, eccentric, deep 'n' meaningful, and also very entertaining. Some of the set pieces could possibly have come from one of Bush's videos, especially the scenes in Teabag's mind. You almost half expect Bush to leap out of the darkness from behind the steel girders to start crooning a variant on 'The Man With The Child In His Eyes' called 'The Woman With The Vile In Her Eyes'.
So pull out the psychologist's chair, and let's delve deep...
- 12/22/2010
- Shadowlocked
The older I get, the younger teenagers seem to get. Just look at this year's horrendous X Factor line-up, which seems to have been tailor-made for under-fives. Most of the acts are apparently around the 18 mark, including a Dot Cotton lookalike with a head that's about five times bigger than her body; a smug Todd Landers lookalike from Neighbours, and what appears to be a group of boy scouts from about 1977 (it's the crap haircuts, you see).
Still, this is nothing new, and even in Doctor Who, 18 year-olds seem to have overtaken the building. Take Full Circle, the first story of the E-Space trilogy. The author is a highly talented young chap called Andrew Smith, who was one of Christopher Hamilton Bidmead's real finds. Despite being only 18 years of age, Smith turned in a script that was detailed, thought-provoking and highly entertaining to boot. It deals with a whole manner of weighty subjects,...
Still, this is nothing new, and even in Doctor Who, 18 year-olds seem to have overtaken the building. Take Full Circle, the first story of the E-Space trilogy. The author is a highly talented young chap called Andrew Smith, who was one of Christopher Hamilton Bidmead's real finds. Despite being only 18 years of age, Smith turned in a script that was detailed, thought-provoking and highly entertaining to boot. It deals with a whole manner of weighty subjects,...
- 12/5/2010
- Shadowlocked
The older I get, the younger teenagers seem to get. Just look at this year's horrendous X Factor line-up, which seems to have been tailor-made for under-fives. Most of the acts are apparently around the 18 mark, including a Dot Cotton lookalike with a head that's about five times bigger than her body; a smug Todd Landers lookalike from Neighbours, and what appears to be a group of boy scouts from about 1977 (it's the crap haircuts, you see).
Still, this is nothing new, and even in Doctor Who, 18 year-olds seem to have overtaken the building. Take Full Circle, the first story of the E-Space trilogy. The author is a highly talented young chap called Andrew Smith, who was one of Christopher Hamilton Bidmead's real finds. Despite being only 18 years of age, Smith turned in a script that was detailed, thought-provoking and highly entertaining to boot. It deals with a whole manner of weighty subjects,...
Still, this is nothing new, and even in Doctor Who, 18 year-olds seem to have overtaken the building. Take Full Circle, the first story of the E-Space trilogy. The author is a highly talented young chap called Andrew Smith, who was one of Christopher Hamilton Bidmead's real finds. Despite being only 18 years of age, Smith turned in a script that was detailed, thought-provoking and highly entertaining to boot. It deals with a whole manner of weighty subjects,...
- 12/5/2010
- Shadowlocked
The older I get, the younger teenagers seem to get. Just look at this year's horrendous X Factor line-up, which seems to have been tailor-made for under-fives. Most of the acts are apparently around the 18 mark, including a Dot Cotton lookalike with a head that's about five times bigger than her body; a smug Todd Landers lookalike from Neighbours, and what appears to be a group of boy scouts from about 1977 (it's the crap haircuts, you see).
Still, this is nothing new, and even in Doctor Who, 18 year-olds seem to have overtaken the building. Take Full Circle, the first story of the E-Space trilogy. The author is a highly talented young chap called Andrew Smith, who was one of Christopher Hamilton Bidmead's real finds. Despite being only 18 years of age, Smith turned in a script that was detailed, thought-provoking and highly entertaining to boot. It deals with a whole manner of weighty subjects,...
Still, this is nothing new, and even in Doctor Who, 18 year-olds seem to have overtaken the building. Take Full Circle, the first story of the E-Space trilogy. The author is a highly talented young chap called Andrew Smith, who was one of Christopher Hamilton Bidmead's real finds. Despite being only 18 years of age, Smith turned in a script that was detailed, thought-provoking and highly entertaining to boot. It deals with a whole manner of weighty subjects,...
- 12/5/2010
- Shadowlocked
The older I get, the younger teenagers seem to get. Just look at this year's horrendous X Factor line-up, which seems to have been tailor-made for under-fives. Most of the acts are apparently around the 18 mark, including a Dot Cotton lookalike with a head that's about five times bigger than her body; a smug Todd Landers lookalike from Neighbours, and what appears to be a group of boy scouts from about 1977 (it's the crap haircuts, you see).
Still, this is nothing new, and even in Doctor Who, 18 year-olds seem to have overtaken the building. Take Full Circle, the first story of the E-Space trilogy. The author is a highly talented young chap called Andrew Smith, who was one of Christopher Hamilton Bidmead's real finds. Despite being only 18 years of age, Smith turned in a script that was detailed, thought-provoking and highly entertaining to boot. It deals with a whole manner of weighty subjects,...
Still, this is nothing new, and even in Doctor Who, 18 year-olds seem to have overtaken the building. Take Full Circle, the first story of the E-Space trilogy. The author is a highly talented young chap called Andrew Smith, who was one of Christopher Hamilton Bidmead's real finds. Despite being only 18 years of age, Smith turned in a script that was detailed, thought-provoking and highly entertaining to boot. It deals with a whole manner of weighty subjects,...
- 12/5/2010
- Shadowlocked
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